[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6814-6815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02095]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Army Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Islands and Levees Feasibility Study
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The action being taken is the preparation of an environmental
impact statement (EIS) for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Islands and
Levees Feasibility Study (Delta Study). The EIS will be prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will serve as lead agency for
compliance with NEPA. The Delta Study will evaluate alternatives to
meet the study goals of restoring sustainable ecosystem functions and
improving flood risk management in the Delta, Suisun Marsh, and
adjacent areas.
DATES: Written comments regarding the scope of the environmental
analysis should be received at (see ADDRESSES) by March 15, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this study and requests to be
included on the Delta Study mailing list should be submitted to U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, Public Affairs Office,
Attn: Delta Study Scoping, 1325 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Public Affairs Office via telephone at (916) 557-7461, email at [email protected], or regular mail at (see ADDRESSES).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Proposed Action. The Corps is preparing an EIS to analyze the
environmental impacts associated with alternatives for restoring
sustainable ecosystem functions and improving
[[Page 6815]]
flood risk management in the Delta, Suisun Marsh, and adjacent areas.
2. Alternatives. The EIS will evaluate alternatives for achieving
the purpose and need of the proposed action. To be developed through
the Corps plan formulation process, the alternatives analyzed may
include various combinations of ecosystem restoration and flood risk
management measures designed to meet the dual objectives of restored
ecosystem functions and improved flood risk management. The array of
potential measures and possible combinations into alternatives will be
determined based in part on information received during the scoping
process.
3. Scoping Process. a. Two public scoping meetings will be held to
present an overview of the Delta Study and the EIS process, and to
afford all interested parties with an opportunity to provide comments
regarding the scope of analysis and potential alternatives. The first
public scoping meeting will be held at the Old Sugar Mill 35265 Willow
Ave, Clarksburg, California, on February 19, 2013, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
The study presentation is scheduled to begin at 5:30. The second public
scoping meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento, 1230 J
Street, Sacramento, California, on February 20, 2013, from 2:00-4:00
p.m. The study presentation is scheduled to begin at 2:30.
b. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS include
programmatic, project specific, and cumulative effects on aesthetics,
agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural
resources, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials,
hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population
and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic,
and utilities and service systems.
c. The Corps will consult with the State Historic Preservation
Officer to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
as amended and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National
Marine Fisheries Service to comply with the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536). The Corps will also coordinate with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to comply with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
(16 U.S.C. sec 661). Other resource agencies will be consulted with as
applicable.
d. A 45-day public review period will be provided for all
interested parties individuals and agencies to review and comment on
the draft EIS. All interested parties are encouraged to respond to this
notice and provide a current address if they wish to be notified of the
draft EIS circulation.
4. Availability. The draft EIS is currently scheduled to be
available for public review and comment in early 2014.
Dated: January 23, 2013.
William J. Leady,
Professional Engineer, Colonel, U.S. Army, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2013-02095 Filed 1-30-13; 8:45 am]
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